Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce sign $1 billion JSF contract

Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce have signed the contract covering Rolls-Royce’s short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) development work for the F135 propulsion system for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft.

Pratt & Whitney (P&W) and Rolls-Royce today signed the contract covering Rolls-Royce’s short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) development work for the F135 propulsion system for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft.

The contract was signed by Walter Bylciw, Executive Vice President of Military Engines at P&W, and by Andy Stevens, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Defence (Europe), at a ceremony held at Rolls-Royce’s corporate headquarters.

The contract, worth approximately $1 billion to Rolls-Royce over ten years, is for the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the program. It covers design and development work on the LiftFan(TM), the roll posts, the three bearing swivel duct and nozzle system that together provide the STOVL capability for the JSF.

P&W has prime contractor responsibility for the development of the propulsion and lift system for the JSF under the terms of a $4.8 billion contract awarded by the US Department of Defence. Activities will include the design and manufacturing of ground test engines, as well as subsequent production and support of flight test engines.

The two companies also signed a teaming agreement for the F135 propulsion system, formalising the relationship between the two companies. The teaming agreement continues Rolls-Royce’s responsibility in providing P&W with design and development leadership for major F135 STOVL components.

This contract value and the associated resources required to deliver the F135 propulsion system has been previously announced by United Technologies Corporation (UTC), P&W’s parent company, and Rolls-Royce.

P&W’s F135 propulsion system is expected to enter production in 2007. It will power all JSF aircraft variants – conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL), carrier variant (CV), and short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL). Up to 6,000 JSF aircraft are expected to be produced over the life of the program.